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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: arm · wax · temple · last · face · season · pitch · bass

  1. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — in the ear
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bass — low music
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — finally
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. wax — to grow
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitch — completely
  10. last — final
  11. season — of the year
  12. face — to confront
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. season — in sport
  23. last — to go on
  24. face — part of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com